Poems from Elle's perspective

A Family Of Misfits And Geeks

A friendly face makes all the difference,
And I remember the first one I saw.
Maryann gave me a Groups merit badge
Not long after I walked in the door.

I took the plunge and joined a Power raid
Though my reviewing skills were new.
Mona put me on the lightning list
And I felt empowered to review.

Once the ball is rolling,
It gathers speed so fast
It’s hard to know the order
That the members joined the cast.

Gaby reminds me of a wee blue dragon
with her treasures and her gruff huff and puff.
She’s challenging, but she’s the kind of friend
Who’ll stand with you when the going gets rough.

She won’t hold your hand nor watch you cry,
She’s not sweetness and light, this friend,
But she’ll fight your battles for you, with you,
And she’ll stay by your side ‘till the end.

Aundria gave me a purpose, a real one,
A way my passions could interweave.
Family history and WDC,
Perhaps a legacy I could leave.

Even when I’m not writing myself,
I delight in seeing the stories shared here,
Recording those who have lived and left us
And the tales of yesteryear.

Sometimes it all gets a bit too much
And I get lost in this site
But my friends will always nag and cheer,
And do what it takes to set me right.

My captains give me time to think,
To focus on other things for a while.
Marci is my personal cheerleader,
And she can always make me smile.

Fran gave me permission to indulge
In books and even encourages me to.
She says reading makes us better writers,
If I needed an excuse. Do you?

Rhonda keeps me sane and on track,
The hardest job of all, I think!
But she’s far more than my personal trainer,
My slave driver or my shrink.

She checks up on me and my family,
She asks after my mum, ‘cause she cares.
She listens and remembers,
And in turn, she also shares.

She is perhaps the only person
Who truly knows the Elle inside,
Because she asks the hardest questions
And doesn’t let me hide.

So many people make a difference though,
A community is not half a dozen friends.
I can’t name everyone that matters,
Or this would be the poem that never ends.

But Rod reminds me to think big
And look at the bigger issues in the world outside.
I’ve got a bit of a case of hero worship
For Paul that I try to hide.

There are the bloggers who encourage me
Not to leave pages blank.
Em, Joel, Cindy and Smitty…
Too many people to thank.

Darleen encourages me not to hide,
Says it’s okay to share the bad with the good.
Nixie supports everything I do,
And never suggests I do more than I should.

I know I haven’t mentioned the staff yet,
But that’s really already been said.
Without them…. Without them…
Well, let’s just take that as read.

I’m not exaggerating to call this a family,
At my home away from home here.
It’s not just the site, it’s all of you,
It’s the people that I hold dear.

I’ll always be grateful that I was adopted
Into this family of misfits and geeks,
Because the diversity (even the odd normal soul)
Provides us with what each of us seeks.

The learning is wonderful, I’ve learned so much;
Each lesson another string to my bow.
But for all the pieces I’ve written, the truth is,
the family and friendships are why I won’t go.


Free verse with ABCB rhyme scheme. Written 17 April 2014.

Mentioned: Maryann - House Martell , eyestar~* , Gaby ~ Keeper Of The Realm , Angels in my Ear , Marci Missing Everyone , Fran 💜 💜 💜 , Rhonda , Sparky , ~ Santa Sisco ~ , Emily , Brother Nature , Wordsmitty ✍️ , 🌑 Darleen - QoD and Nixie Martell cheerleader